Coronavirus (Covid-19) Updates

Last updated: April 7th, 2020

Please follow our latest updates on the developing coronavirus (Covid-19 disease) situation, characterized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic.

Learn about the coronavirus' impact in Japan, including travel restrictions, temporary closures and cancelled events. If you are planning or booking an upcoming trip, we recommend checking your local authority's latest travel and health advisories, as well as the current flight status of your airline.

Table of contents

1. Travel updates
2. Temporary closures
3. Cancelled events
4. Coronavirus: guidance, tips, what to do
5. Travel advisories
6. Official resources
    

Travel Updates

　APR 6th

Abe Announces State of Emergency

Government poised to declare state of emergency from Tuesday, covering Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Chiba, Saitama, Hyogo and Fukuoka.  Read More

MAR 30th

Entry Ban Widened to Include US

Government announces plan to expand list of countries affected as coronavirus pandemic expands.  Read More

MAR 29th

Tokyo Governor Issues Stay at Home Request

To counter an increase in confirmed infections, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government asks residents to work from home and refrain from going out in evenings and weekends.  Read More

MAR 24th

Tokyo 2020: Officially Postponed until 2021

IOC announces decision to postpone the Olympic Games to no later than the summer of 2021, to safeguard the health of athletes, those involved in delivering the Games and the international community.  Read More

MAR 20th

Visa exemption measures suspended for Schengen countries, rest of EU

Effective 21st March, 00:00 JST: Holders of a passport issued by affected countries (see MOFA site), intending to enter Japan without obtaining a visa, will not be permitted to land.  Read More

MAR 18th

Japan asks Europe visitors to self-quarantine for 14 days,extends entry ban

Effective 21st March, 00:00 JST: Government plans to impose new restrictions on visitors from about 30 European countries, including Britain, France and Germany. Entry bans extend to cover Iceland and parts of Spain, Italy and Switzerland.  Read More

MAR 10th

Japan mulls entry ban for Italy visitors

Government sources suggest a plan to impose new restrictions on visitors from parts of northern Italy in response to the coronavirus situation there. Read More

MAR 5th

Japan to Quarantine all China and S. Korea Visitors

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces new safeguard to quarantine all visitors for 2 weeks from coronavirus-hit China and South Korea, as well as parts of Iran. Read More

MAR 3rd

JAL, ANA offer free cancellations

Two of Japan's major airlines, JAL and ANA, are offering free refunds for all tickets through March 19th that have been canceled as a result of fears about the coronavirus. Read More

FEB 27th

Travel Advisory: Visitors from Korea Regions Restricted Access

Visitors with a travel history to Korea's Daegu City or Cheongdo County within 14 days are being restricted access to Japan (Effective Feb 27th 2020). Read More

FEB 13th

Travel Advisory: Visitors from China Regions Restricted Access

Visitors from Wuhan (Hubei)and Zhejiang Provinces are being restricted access to Japan and may not be allowed to land in Japan (Effective Feb 13th 2020). Read More

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Numerous events in Japan throughout March and April 2020 have been cancelled, postponed, or scaled back. This follows a formal government request in February to event organizers to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

You can view our full list of event cancellations in Japan for those we have published on our site. Cancellations also hit the sumo tournament in Osaka (Mar 8-22) which was held behind closed doors, similar to baseball pre-season games. J-League football is currently postponed until April or later. 

Tokyo 2020: Postponement Confirmed

With the biggest and most anticipated event of the year also under heavy scrutiny, it was perhaps inevitable but not surprising to see the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games' postponement ultimately confirmed by the IOC on March 24th. It was also agreed the event will keep the name 'Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020'.

How to stay healthy in Japan

What precautions work best against coronavirus?

The World Health Organization's advice largely mirrors that for flu:

• Wash your hands regularly – this could be soap and water, or alcohol-based hand sanitizers (at least 60% alcohol)
• Maintain social distancing – avoid those who are coughing or sneezing (at least 1m). Some countries are implementing lockdowns and recommending keeping 2m from strangers.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth – potential points of entry for coronavirus particles
• Practice respiratory hygiene – covering your mouth when you cough, and disposing of tissues promptly followed by washing hands.

Should I wear a mask?

There has been a lot of media coverage surrounding the use of masks, ranging from their effectiveness, differing attitudes in the West and the stigma of wearing them, and even instances of panic buying and price gouging.

If you are travelling in Japan and can find them, we recommend wearing a face mask as a general precaution. Whilst the common surgical mask is not thought to be effective against blocking microscopic coronavirus particles (aerosols), they can help with both respiratory hygiene (protecting others) and keeping you from needlessly touching your face (protecting yourself until you can wash your hands).

Do I need travel insurance?

Whether you are already in Japan, preparing for a trip, or are planning ahead, we recommend taking out comprehensive travel insurance. This is both to insure against the prospect of unforeseen medical expenses if the need arise, but also against changing travel plans as the situation develops.

Note that it is essential to check your home country travel advice if you plan to travel to Japan. This is to ensure there is no impact on your insurance coverage.

What should I do if concerned by coronavirus in Japan?

Contact JNTO's Visitor Hotline. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) operate a 24/7 visitor hotline service, available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. It can be called for assistance in case of accidents or emergencies relating to the coronavirus:

• From Japan 050-3816-2787
• From Overseas +81-50-3816-2787

What should I do if I feel sick?

Japan's official guidance has been to encourage people to self-isolate if they suspect they have related symptoms: 

• 37.5°C (99.5°F) or higher fever lasting for 4 or more days,
• Cold symptoms
• Severe lethargy
• Breathing difficulties.

Japan is rapidly expanding its daily testing capabilities so it should be becoming easier to access relevant medical treatment where needed.

This step-by-step consultation flow released by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is an easy-to-follow guide on what to do if you think you may be affected by coronavirus-related symptoms. You can also consult:

• List of Covid-19 Consultation Centers (Japanese),
• List of medical institutions with foreign-language services (English),
• The JNTO Hotline: 050-3816-2787 (more info above) 

You can also consult these multilingual hotlines around Japan's prefectures:

• Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Medical Information Center Himawari 03-5285-8181 English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Thai.
• Saitama Prefecture 048-833-3296 English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Nepalese.
• Osaka Prefecture 06-6941-2297 English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Indonesian and Nepalese.
• Kyoto Prefecture 075-343-9666 English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Portuguese and Spanish.
• Hyogo Prefecture 078-382-2052 English, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese.
• Gunma Prefecture 027-289-8275 English, Vietnamese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish.
• Yamaguchi Prefecture 092-687-6639 English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Portuguese, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Malay, Burmese and Khmer.
• Hiroshima Prefecture 0120-783-806 English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Spanish and Nepalese.
• Shiga Prefecture 077-523-5646 English, Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Nepalese, Korean, Spanish, Russian and Hindi.
• Wakayama Prefecture 073-435-5240 English, Chinese and Tagalog.
• Mie Prefecture 080-3300-8077 English, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Indonesian and Thai.
• Gifu Prefecture 058-263-8066 English, Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Nepalese, Korean, Spanish, Khmer, Myanmar, Malay and Mongolian.
• Kumamoto Prefecture 080-4275-4489 English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, Malay, French, Russian, German, Italian, Burmese, Khmer and Mongolian.
• Fukuoka Prefecture 092-286-9595 English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Portuguese, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Malay, Burmese and Khmer.
• Okinawa Prefecture 0570-050-235 English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Thai.
• Hokkaido Prefecture 011-200-9595 English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Russian, Nepalese, Indonesian and Burmese.

What is the current situation in Japan?

Compare Japan's situation with countries around the world via WHO's daily sitreps.

Is it safe to travel to Japan?

Japan Entry

As of early April, Japan has increased the list of countries subject to an entry ban for visitors who have passed through them within the last 14 days. Please see JNTO's official site for the full list.

Official Japan travel advisories

Please consult these official advisories from countries overseas to gauge the current advice on travelling to Japan, or indeed overseas.

Note: as the coronavirus has spread across the world, many countries are launching their own containment measures (including temporarily closing borders in some cases), thus advising their citizens to defer their immediate travel plans. Please always check your local authority's latest guidance before planning or attempting to travel.

Official resources

	WHO (World Health Organization) Coronavirus information
	JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) Official coronavirus updates @JapanSafeTravel
	Tokyo Metropolitan Govt If you feel concerned by Covid-19 (step-by-step consultation)
	MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) Official updates

Covid-19 Tracker